Qualcomm eyes commercial 5G modem integration by 2018

Qualcomm (QCOM+1.4%) issued details on its Snapdragon X50 5G modem, setting a H2 2017 timeline to begin sampling and a H1 2018 release target for use within commercial products.

The company intends "to deliver a product that will help play a critical role in bringing 5G devices and networks to reality."

Although the 5G phase of networking is generally not expected to reach large-scale commercialization until at least 2020, Qualcomm appears to be proactively looking to push that time frame ahead of schedule.